Every year for Christmas we usually have some sort of sweet item, like a danish or cinnamon rolls. This year I felt like trying something new and made a breakfast casserole.
I was inspired by BubbleCrumb.com's recipe for a "Bacon Breakfast Bake", but I tweaked it to make it more my own and to suit our tastes a little better. The beauty of a recipe like this is that you can basically make it however you want as long as you have the base ingredients: eggs and tater tots. You can pick your own cheese, veggies and meat.
Now I have to say that this dish is absolutely delicious. My family raved over it and we plowed through 3/4 of a 13x9 pan of casserole goodness on Christmas morning. I made it again today since the guys were out shoveling snow and again we took down almost the entire pan. It's addictive and cheesy and satisfying. My dad had three helpings...my dad rarely has more than one serving of anything...I knew at that point I had a winner!
So whether it's a special holiday morning or just a cold day of shoveling snow, this dish is sure to satisfy the hungriest appetite. And it makes great leftovers!
Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
3/4 Bag of Tater Tots (32 oz Bag)
1 tsp Olive Oil
1 Small Onion, Chopped
3/4 Bag of Frozen Broccoli Cuts (16 oz Bag)
Salt and Pepper For Seasoning
1/4 cup Water
1 lb Bacon
1 Dozen Eggs
1 1/2 cups Milk
8 oz Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
1) Bake tater tots according to package instructions. Remove from oven when crispy and place in the bottom of your 13 x 9 casserole dish. Season the tater tots with salt and pepper, then set aside.
2) In a medium sized saute pan, heat up the olive oil. Add the onion and saute for about 2 minutes over medium heat then add the broccoli. Season with salt and pepper. Add the water and cover the pan to let the broccoli soften. Cook for about 5 minutes then remove cover and let water cook off the rest of the way over medium-high heat. Once water is gone remove onions and broccoli to a bowl and set aside.
3) Cook the bacon either in the oven or a frying pan. I like to bake mine since it eliminates some mess. I bake mine on two sheet trays in a 425 degree F oven until crispy. Once the bacon is crispy drain on a paper towel then crumble when cool enough to touch. Set aside.
4) In a large bowl crack the dozen eggs and add milk. Whisk until well combined like you're making scrambled eggs. Add the cheese to the eggs and whisk together. Set aside and begin the assembly of the casserole.
-Add the broccoli and onion mixture on top of the tater tots.
-Next sprinkle the bacon on top of the broccoli and onion mixture.
-Last pour the egg and cheese mixture over the top of everything. The cheese will settle on the top of the casserole.
5) Cover the casserole with foil and bake at 350 degree F for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for an additional 10 minutes uncovered.
The cool thing about this is you can't even tell that it's tater tots. Everything cooks together and makes for a hearty, belly warming dish. I recommend making more that one casserole if serving a crowd..in this house that one pan only serves four! But in an "average" household it could probably serve at least 6. Like I said though, it makes amazing leftovers so even if you made too much it will get eaten!
Merry Christmas Eve everyone! I hope you are all enjoying your time with loved ones whatever your plans this evening may be. Tonight I am cooking dinner for our family. We've never been big Christmas Eve celebrators, we always did everything on Christmas day. However since I've gotten older I felt like it was important to do something nice on Christmas Eve, like having a delicious dinner.
Stuffed shells are one of those easy go-to dishes that you can cook and people can eat as they like. I love them. I had never really made them before this year, something about them daunted me, but I decided to give them a shot this fall and was very happy with how they came out. I bump up my recipe with onion and garlic and spinach. Then coat them in a meat sauce so they are hearty and filling. Perfect dinner for a cold winter night, especially Christmas Eve.
We are expected to get a couple of inches of snow tomorrow. I am hoping and praying for a white Christmas. I can't tell you the last time we had one here. It would just make my entire year! I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and receives all the goodies they wished for. I personally would love world peace and for a gift on the smaller side I asked "Santa" for a KitchenAid stand mixer. I enjoy imagining all that I could make with a stand mixer...oh the possibilities!
Spinach Stuffed Shells With Meat Sauce
1 Box Jumbo Shells
1 T Olive Oil
1 Small Onion, Diced Small
2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
2 Cups Fresh Baby Spinach
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
32oz Ricotta Cheese
2 Eggs
1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese
Salt and Pepper To Taste
1 lb. Ground Beef
1 1/2 Jars, Tomato Sauce of Choice
1 1/2 Cups Mozzarella Cheese, Shredded
1) Cook jumbo shells according to instructions on box. Boil for about 10 minutes or until al dente (slightly firm). Drain, separate any shells that are stuck together, set aside.
2) In a medium sized saute pan heat olive oil on medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add spinach and cook until wilted. Season with salt and pepper. Remove the spinach mixture to a strainer or colander and squeeze the water out of it. Place on a cutting board and chop up with a knife. This will ensure that there are no big stem pieces and every thing will distribute evenly in the ricotta.
3) Using the same pan that you used for the spinach mixture brown your ground beef on medium-high heat. Once all the way browned, drain the meat and place back in pan. Add the full jar of tomato sauce to it. Leave on low on the burner.
4) In a large bowl place the ricotta cheese, spinach mixture, eggs, and Parmesan cheese. Stir until very well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Using a large casserole or lasagna pan, coat the bottom of the pan with the other half of the jar of tomato sauce. Fill your shells with about 2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture and lay them in the pan. Once the pan is full, cover the shells with the meat sauce and then the shredded mozzarella. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Then remove the foil and turn heat up to 385 degrees and cook for 15 minutes more to let the edges brown and get a little crispy. Enjoy!
*When I make these it doesn't use every single shell from the box, but I find it easier to cook the whole thing rather than guess how much I might need. Also you may need to over flow into a second pan of shells, I always do, so make sure to spread out your sauce and cheese accordingly.
I don't know about you, but I love a good Tex-Mex dish, especially in casserole form. When the weather is cold and dreary the go-to dinner options in our home are casseroles, soups and stews or a good roast. Anything that warms you up and can be put into one pan or pot and be done is what I'm talking about!
My Tex-Mex "Lasagna" was born out of our love of the flavors of Tex-Mex or Mexican food and the fact that we were tired of tacos. This delicious casserole style dish is made with layers of corn tortillas, savory ground beef, cheese, beans and some other tasty ingredients. It's the perfect "man meal"..my boyfriend often eats more than one piece and then brings it to work the next day for lunch. The leftovers are even better the next day!
When assembling the "lasagna", have all of your components ready in their separate bowls. This will make the assembly process much more quick and efficient.
Tex-Mex "Lasagna"
1 T Olive Oil
2 Small Onions, diced
2 Garlic Cloves, grated or minced
2 (4 oz.) Cans Green Chiles
2 lbs. Ground Beef
2 Packs Reduced Sodium Taco Seasoning
1 1/2 cups Water
15 oz. Can Black Beans, rinsed
16 oz. Mild Salsa
8 oz. Container of Sour Cream
24 Small Corn Tortillas
3 cups Colby Jack Cheese, shredded
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2) In a large saute pan heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes until translucent. Add the green chiles and cook until heated through. Remove to a bowl and set aside.
3) Turn heat up to medium-high and using the same pan brown the ground beef. Once completely browned, drain and return to pan. Add in the taco seasoning packets and the 1 1/2 cups water. Cook until all meat is coated in the sauce and thickened, as if you are making tacos. Turn off heat and set aside.
4) In a medium sized bowl combine the black beans, salsa and sour cream. Set aside. Grate your cheese if not pre-grated and set aside.
5) Using a 13 x 9 cake pan or casserole dish begin the assembly process (I made three total layers). On the bottom place a couple tablespoons of the onion and chile mixture. Next layer will be six corn tortillas (it's okay if they over lap), then the ground beef, onion and chile mixture, black bean and salsa mixture, top with cheese. Repeat layering process two more times, but on the last layer don't use the cheese on the bean and salsa mixture. Instead use the last six tortillas and then cover those in the rest of the cheese. Like here:
6) Cover the "lasagna" with foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Then increase oven temperature to 400 degrees, remove the foil and bake for 15 more minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 15 minutes before slicing. This made 12 good sized portions.
Serve this up with a small green salad and a dollop of guacamole and you will be in Tex-Mex bliss. I also recommend a slice of fresh lime on the side and maybe a margarita...or two!
